Friends Already
by festival-chan loves books
Summary: The day Shikamaru learned not to expect much from his life was the day that he met Ino.  Sadly, he was five years old at the time.  Young team Asuma and their dads.
1. Chapter 1

-too lazy to say much of anything- Little ShikaIno.

* * *

The day that Shikamaru learned not to expect much from his life was the day that he met Ino.

Sadly, he was five years old at the time.

"Shikamaru!" said his dad. "We're going to see a few old friends of mine today. They've got kids your age."

Shikamaru's only thought was _Why do I have to go?_, but his dad would have explained that had it been necessary. So Shikamaru trailed after his dad, and walked to a house nearby.

A boy there that he recognized- his friend Chouji that he'd met one day when Shikamaru's group of friends told Chouji he couldn't play- and a girl stood there, kind of gaping at one another.

"Hey, Chouji," he said

"Hey, Shikamaru," said Chouji.

"You two know each other?" asked Chouji's dad, surprised. "Is he the friend from the ninja games?"

"Yeah," said Chouji.

"I thought you stopped playing those," said Shikaku.

"Yeah, because they didn't let Chouji, and they were troublesome anyway," Shikamaru said, shrugging.

Shikaku smiled proudly. Chozi smiled, too, but kindly. "Thanks," he said "Chouji was really happy about that."

"Dad!" A blush filled the boy's cheeks.

Chozi shrugged. "It's the truth."

Shikamaru shrugged again, a little embarrassed. "Chouji brought snacks, and we got to sit and watch the clouds together. Much less troublesome than playing ninja."

"Chouji brought... snacks?" asked Inoichi, a grin appearing on his face.

"Yeah," said Shikamaru, unsure why this made Shikaku and Inoichi roar with laughter. Chozi chuckled.

"And you had a daughter!" said Shikaku to Inoichi. "What's your name, sweetheart?" he added to the little girl, who looked dubious at being addressed by "sweetheart" by this random guy she didn't know.

"I'm Ino," she said defiantly, as if this was liable to be debated. Well, it wasn't now.

"Ino, meet Shikamaru and Chouji. Shikamaru and Chouji, Ino," said Inoichi. "Now go play." He ushered them outside.

"Subtle," said Shikaku sarcastically.

"Bye, Daddy!" called Ino, waving.

"Bye, sweetie," he called back.

Shikamaru and Chouji were both heard to say, "Bye, Dad."

Shikamaru strolled along. "Hurry up, Shikamaru!" Ino yelled bossily.

"Why do I have to listen to you?" asked Shikamaru, but he bounded up to meet her and Chouji anyway.

"Because you're a boy," said Ino.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Boys should listen to girls. That's what my daddy says."

"Your dad looks like a girl, he's got that long blonde ponytail."

This was Shikamaru's first mistake of the day.

SMACK! Ino got him in the face with a really strong punch for a skinny four-year-old girl.

"MY DADDY DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A GIRL!"

"...Ouch..." Shikamaru moaned, rubbing his nose.

"SAY MY DADDY DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A GIRL!"

"Fine, your dad doesn't look like a girl."

"... Good."

.:Inside the House:.

Inoichi, having winced at the "your dad looks like a girl" comment (while Shikaku and Chozi had a really great laugh at his expense), let out a loud whoop and punched the air when Ino punched Shikamaru.

"That's my girl! I taught her how to punch, you know, she'll be fending off the boys any day now. She's so cute, always Daddy's girl, and smart as a whip, too. Stronger than any other girl I've met her age, too, and..." He continued bragging about his daughter as Shikaku and Chouji watched their sons get beaten up.

.:Back outside:.

"Why don't we go play ninja?" asked Ino. "One of you can rescue me. I'll be the princess. The other will be the bad ninja trying to kidnap me." She preened her hair. "Let's see... who wants to be the kidnapper?"

She decided for them, since they had completely blank looks on their faces.

"You! Chouji, you can be the kidnapper."

"Why me?"

"Yeah, Chouji's too gentle. He'd make a terrible kidnapper," said Shikamaru. Chouji smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks, Shikamaru."

"I dunno, I did eeny-meeny-miny-moe in my head. Which makes you the rescuer, Shikamaru..."

"Oh. I'll just wait here while you kidnap her, then."

"..."

"Um, how do I kidnap you?"

"You just pick me up and run away, stupid! Then Shikamaru, you try and rescue me. Got it?"

"Right."

"Troublesome woman..." Shikamaru repeated what his dad had said about his mom many times, not hearing the peals of laughter that came from inside the house (from Chozi and Inoichi, Shikaku was standing there with a bit of an embarrassed look on his face shaking his head. "Nothing like kids to tell every little secret.")

"What do you mean, troublesome?" asked Ino, with that look on her face like she was about to hit him again.

"Nothing!" Shikamaru said quickly.

The snakes receded. "Good," she said pleasantly. "Anyway, let's begin!" Shikamaru plopped down onto the grass to watch the clouds.

Ino lay on the ground, trying to be cute while pretending to fall asleep. Chouji came and picked her up. ("CHOZI, GET YOUR BOY'S HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" "I think she wanted him to pick her up." "THAT ONLY MAKES IT WORSE, SHIKAKU!")

Ino pretended to be helpless. "Shikamaru!" she cried out. "Save me!" She fainted dramatically, forearm to forehead, and became limp in Chouji's arms.

Chouji looked quite scared.

Shikamaru didn't move.

Ino awoke from her dramatic faint and yelled his name again. "Save me, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru didn't move.

"SHIKAMARU!" yelled Ino, startling him. "GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP AND SAVE ME!"

(Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chozi were practically rolling on the floor laughing at this point. "She's got some lungs on her," Shikaku managed between laughs. "That's my girl," said Inoichi proudly-again-. "She's not gonna let any guy treat her badly when she grows up.")

Shikamaru got up (carefully), and walked toward her slowly.

"I'm coming... troublesome woman," he muttered under his breath. "Can't you wait a bit! You're probably better off in Chouji's hands anyway!"

Ino was beginning to feel this was taking a turn for the worse. "No, I'm not!" she yelled back. "Chouji's the villain!"

"Yes, but he's bad at it! The worst thing he'd do to you is drop you!"

If anyone had been able to see Chouji's face as he was carrying off Ino, they would have seen fear incarnate. As it was, no one was able to see his face, because Ino at that point stood up in his arms and yelled, "WELL PRETEND HE'S BAD AND SAVE ME- !#$ IT!"

(Shikaku laughed. "Not only has she got lungs, but she's got a mouth on her too!"

"I dunno where she learned that one..."

"That one? You mean she knows more?"

"...No... Really!"

Shikaku and Chozi gave him doubtful looks.)

Chouji, from the amount of weight moving up, fell over backwards.

Ino sat on top of him, refusing to move until rescued, at which point Shikamaru really did have to come and save his friend from the princess he was really supposed to be rescuing.

He picked up Ino.

"Oof!" he said. "You're heavy."

"Am not! You're just weak!"

"Who's heavy?" demanded Chouji, swelling with anger.

"Ino's heavy," said Shikamaru, making Chouji deflate back to normal size and Ino stand up stiffer in Shikamaru's arms with anger.

Shikamaru dropped her. She landed on the ground with a loud "OOF!" noise - "Probably all the air escaping from her lungs," said Shikamaru to Chouji when Ino was recovering from her brief contact with Mr. Ground.

"You could have at least put me down!" yelled Ino.

"No, I couldn't've," said Shikamaru. "Your weight surprised me."

"Well, you're weak then!"

"I'm not weak. You're just heavy for someone so little."

"... LITTLE?!?!"

She had him by the throat within a second.

"Little's not- not a bad thing," Shikamaru choked out.

"...Oh. BUT HEAVY IS!" she yelled, and squeezed his throat harder.

"Ino... Ino! INO!" yelled Chouji, prying her from Shikamaru, who was almost turning blue. "Shikamaru, are you okay?"

Cough. "... Yeah..."

"YOU!" yelled Ino, lunging for Chouji. "How dare you let him call me fat!"

"I didn't call you fat," said Shikamaru, tired of this and laying down on the ground. "I called you heavy. Which is fine. Don't worry about it. You're kinda pretty."

If Shikamaru had known how blazing Inoichi's eyes had gotten at this comment, he wouldn't have said it. Chozi had to restrain Inoichi from killing Shikamaru on the spot, their positions laughably like their childrens' had been a moment ago, since Shikaku was leaning back on a chair. As it was, Ino was preening and giggling, Shikamaru was yawning on the ground, and Chouji was happily busy watching a butterfly on a nearby flower.

"You know, I think we've done a good job raising them so far," said Shikaku, watching the kids find places to be and play with what they wanted to play with. "I think they'll get along, too," he said (as Ino smacked Shikamaru upside the head).

"Yeah," said Chozi.

"They'll be something," said Inoichi. "Dunno what, but I think they'd be a pretty good team, don't you?"

Shikaku nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I do."

Chozi nodded too. "I think they're friends already."

They let the kids romp around a little while longer, but at five, Shikaku said, "I think I should go."

"Wife gonna kill you if you're not home for dinner?" asked Inoichi knowingly.

"Yeah," admitted Shikaku.

"She's got you whipped, man. I said it back then and I'm saying it now."

Shikaku ignored him. "Shikamaru! We better get home for dinner!"

"Mom's gonna kill him if we're not home for dinner," said Shikamaru to Chouji and Ino.

"See, even he knows!" Inoichi chuckled.

Shikaku ignored him yet again.

"Bye, troublesome woman. Bye, Chouji."

Ino's eyes blazed, and she spluttered. Chouji simply smiled and waved, saying, "Bye, Shikamaru. See ya later."

"I better take her home, too." Inoichi watched his little daughter walk sleepily to the couch and flop onto it. She yawned.

"I'm tired, Daddy. Carry me," she said, pouting.

"I am, sweetie." He picked her up.

"You know, Inoichi," said Chozi as he watched the two make their way to the door. "I think she's got_you_ whipped."

Inoichi, looking back with the same expression that Ino always got on her face – devilishly mischievous- stuck his tongue out. Chozi, for a moment, saw his best friend from their days as children. "Bye, fatso!" he yelled, bounding off.

Chouji smiled, shaking his head, and knowing that in reality, Inoichi understood him. He looked at Chouji.

"This is gonna sound weird, kid, but I hope that Ino and Shikamaru will grow up and be allowed to call you 'fatso'," Chozi said. Chouji rolled over and drooled. His dad laughed. "I'll let you sleep now. You probably need it... That Ino is something else," he whispered, ruffling Chouji's hair, laughing, and leaving.

Meanwhile, Shikaku walked Shikamaru home.

Shikamaru yawned.

"Tired?" asked his dad.

"Yeah," said Shikamaru. "Ino... geez..."

His dad laughed. "You know, your talents, hers, and Chouji's go together absolutely perfectly. You can hold them still while Chouji either rolls them over or Ino controls them. You're probably going to be put into a team with them. Their dads and me happened to be the team with the best teamwork of our Genin teams. And our Chuunin teams."

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the expectations set of him by his dad. He also wondered at the supposed talents they all had, but didn't ask questions, supposing he would learn later.

"Do you think that we'll do as well?"

Shikaku considered. "Today, if you had been a Genin team trying to act together, I would have sent you back to the Academy. But," he added, "That was what my teacher threatened to do when he saw us try to work together for the first time. And you guys weren't trying to act together. So there's no real way to tell, is there?" he said. "Well, you were in a sense, but it all turned out okay. Ino needs to learn to go with the flow, you need to learn to care about things, and Chouji needs to learn to act."

Shikamaru laughed.

"But you will do fine, I think, in the end," Shikaku mused. "You're smart kids, all of you. We were just smart alecks." He grinned. "But we had fun. You will too. And about Ino..."

"She's crazy," muttered Shikamaru. "Punched me multiple times..."

"Not like you didn't deserve it. Anyway, she's got her dad wrapped around her little finger, and I have a feeling that someday you'll be wrapped around the other one. She's just one of those people that can do that. And Chouji cares about people too much to say that he's wrapped around any person's finger."

"Aw... You're wrong, Dad."

"The first thing I ever said to your mom was 'Why do I have to listen to you?'," said Shikaku.

Shikamaru sighed, remembering what he had said to Ino earlier. "I hope you're wrong, Dad..."

Shikaku laughed. "I'm never wrong."

Shikamaru sighed. His life was going to be troublesome anyway, so what was one more troublesome girl?

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

.:Some years later:.

"SHIKAMARU! GET IN HERE!" Ino yelled.

"Whipped, man," said Chouji as Shikamaru (ignoring him) practically ran for his wife's room.

"Yeah?" he asked Ino.

"I want a glass of water and that woman CANNOT bring it. She's practically dead on her feet. No help at all." Ino pointed at the nurse who'd come to help her out during her bedrest.

The poor woman was out like a light, snoring, pink hair rising up in front of her nose as she breathed in and out. How did she stay asleep? One look at the woman sprawled on the bed, blonde ponytail slightly messy, told him exactly how.

"I think you wore her out, Ino."

"I DON'T CARE! I'M THIRSTY!"

Shikamaru ran for the glass of water and ran back.

"Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Thank you... You're so sweet," said Ino, pulling him down to her level for a kiss.

Chouji, walking in, chuckling. They let go, embarrassed.

"Hey, Chouji," said Shikamaru and, finding his feet absolutely fascinating, tried to hide the blush.

"Relax... It's just me."

Ino slumped back. "All I do is lie here," she whined. "I hate it."

Shikamaru sighed. "Only a couple more weeks," he said.

"Yeah, and then we'll have a baby!" cried Ino happily.

"Yeah, and I'll get less sleep than I normally do," muttered Shikamaru. Ino pulled him down and smacked him.

"You know you wanted the baby," she said.

Shikamaru winced. She realized she'd just embarrassed him, and decided to do it some more. "Sorry, Shika, but I think you should own up to the fact that you want a little girl."

"I want a boy..."

"No, you don't."

"Not with you around! She'd turn into your mini-me! I've met your mother!"

"Yes, and what fun that was..." muttered Ino. She stage-whispered to Chouji, "He's just too embarrassed to admit it." She sighed. "But he is secretly dying for it to be a girl."

Shikamaru said nothing. Sakura woke up.

"Thanks for letting me sleep, Ino," she said gratefully.

"You're welcome," said Ino. She jumped, seemingly startled by something. "Now, you two go along," she said sweetly, shoving the men toward the door. Sakura, looking at her questioningly, received a glare from Ino.

Sakura jumped. "NO WAY!" Shikamaru and Chouji listened from outside.

"Yup," said Ino nervously. Shikamaru was itching to barge back in, but knew he'd have to face the wrath of Ino if he did.

"Do you want him here?" asked Sakura.

"Yes," said Ino immediately.

"Chouji?"

"Um... I don't know..." Ino was pausing to think. "Sure, why not. But make them both stand over HERE." Shikamaru guessed, and correctly so, that this meant over by her head. But he wasn't sure why it would.

Shikamaru really didn't know what was going on, but sensed that it was probably not going to be good.

Later on, he would still be debating whether it was good or not.

For a long, long while.

.:Several hours later:.

Their eardrums hurt (from the screaming). Their hands hurt (from telling her to squeeze them when something hurt). Their heads hurt (from everything that had happened). For Ino, pretty much everything hurt.

But they were happy, Ino lying happily at the front of the bed, sniffling and holding a small bundle that she relinquished only to Sakura, and only once, for the usual checkup.

The mother and father were arguing.

"Chouji."

"Thanks, Shikamaru..."

"Inoichi."

"Chouji."

"Inoichi."

"Chouji!"

"INOICHI!" The still unnamed baby started to cry. Ino patted it and made sure it was happy again, while Chouji stated his views on the subject.

"It's okay, Shikamaru... If she wants to name him after her dad, that's fine."

"Well..." Shikamaru had really wanted to name his kid after Chouji, his best friend, but... Ino usually got her way, and he didn't mind that. Second son, then.

"Inoichi!"

"Okay, fine. Inoichi. Our second son will be named Chouji."

Also it was big points with the in-laws. The kid looked like a Yamanaka, anyway.

"Okay!"

"It's more than fair."

Chouji was grinning. "Thanks, guys."

Shikamaru shrugged. Ino beamed. "Here, you can hold him now," she said to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru took the baby into his arms.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Your troublesome mother finally gave you to me, huh. You look like her. So we named you after her dad. Hi, Inoichi. Sounds like a girl's name. Geez. Troublesome, having a son with a girl's name..." The baby stared up at him tranquilly with large blue eyes.

"That's weird, he's so calm around you, Shikamaru. I would think that he would like to be held by Ino first, considering she's his mom and all..."

"I'm good with kids. Plus, his mother is troublesome, and she was yelling in his ear. Wasn't she, troublesome little Inoichi?"

Ino glared at him.

"Don't call my baby troublesome! And that had better not be his first word, either, or I swear I will make that grounds for divorce."

"Why not? That's what my first word was."

Ino gaped at him. "You're lying."

"No. They say I didn't talk until the day I turned four. I tripped and hit my head on something, and I said 'troublesome'. It's a lame story. But true."

An awkward silence followed, interrupted by the occasional cooing of baby Inoichi. Finally, though, it was fully broken by Ino, as most silences were.

"Someone ought to call my parents."

"Yeah, I'll get to that," said Chouji. "Where's the phone and their number?"

"Oh, I know," said Sakura. "I'll help. You two can handle a baby, right? Supergenius and mother?"

She left.

Ino stared at Shikamaru, suddenly unsure.

"Shikamaru," she asked, "What are we going to do if we can't handle a baby? What if we mess up?"

"We won't mess up," said Shikamaru, although he was a little nervous as well. "Like she said. I'm a supergenius. And you're the mom. We'll do fine."

Ino lay back, exhausted. "I hope you're right, Shikamaru..."

"I'm never wrong..."

The End (or the beginning, depending on how you look at things)

* * *

I just wrote this... I'm not sure if it takes away from the previous one or not, but... whatever. Let me know if you liked it, and I'll leave it up, but if everyone who bothers to review thinks it takes away or whatever, I'll take it down, and maybe post it up as a sequel or something. It can pretty much stand on its own.

Please review. :D


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